1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to leveling cabinets and other objects and, more particularly, to leveling systems and methods involving accessible leveling device assemblies.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Kitchen cabinetry sets typically include a number of units installed on the kitchen floor. Such floor-mounted cabinet units, or base cabinets, provide support for countertops, as well as inner storage space via shelves and drawers. Base cabinets are often installed around the perimeter, or walls, of a room, although some units are arranged to form a standalone island for the interior of a kitchen.
Installation of base cabinets usually requires leveling each unit to compensate for uneven or non-level flooring that would otherwise lead to non-level countertops and shelving. Cabinet installation consequently involves placing the cabinet in position on the floor for an initial assessment. Shims are then inserted at various locations between the unit and the flooring until the unit is satisfactorily level. In this way, shim-based leveling can be iterative or repetitious in nature, as each additional shim adjustment warrants another level assessment and possibly further shim adjustments.
Unfortunately, the location of a cabinet unit can render adjustments via leveling shims difficult. Gaining access to the rear of a cabinet unit to insert a shim may be impracticable, if not impossible, given the presence of other units or adjacent walls. For example, a cabinet unit to be installed in a corner often should be installed first to provide an opportunity for inserting shims without obstruction from adjacent units. Many kitchen cabinetry sets, however, include more than one corner unit, which can lead to complications arising from lack of accessibility to the rear of a unit.
Shim-based leveling can be problematic even when access is relatively unobstructed. Cabinet units are typically very heavy, and accordingly not easily lifted or moved, which may be necessary to insert a shim. Moreover, once the shim is inserted to an appropriate extent, only part of the shim is typically disposed under the cabinet unit. The excess portion of the shim must then be trimmed for aesthetic reasons, a step that risks accidental damage to the flooring and the cabinet unit.